Longbourn, December 1811. The day after Jane and Lizzy marry dawns especially cold for young Kitty Bennet. Called to Papa’s bookroom, she is faced with a resolute Mr. Bennet who intends to punish her complicity in her sister’s elopement. She will be sent packing to a seminary in far-off Cornwall.

She reacts like any teenager chafing under the “burden” of parental rules—she throws a tantrum. In her fury, she slams her hands against the doors of The Bennet Wardrobe.

Her heart’s desire?

I wish they were dead! Anywhere but Cornwall! Anywhere but here!
As Lydia later said, “The Wardrobe has a unique sense of humor.”
London, May 1886. Seventeen-year-old Catherine Marie Bennet tumbles out of The Wardrobe at Matlock House to come face-to-face with the austere Viscount Henry Fitzwilliam, a scion of the Five Families and one of the wealthiest men in the world. However, while their paths may have crossed that May morning, Henry still fights his feelings for another woman, lost to him nearly thirty years in his future. And Miss Bennet must decide between exile to the remote wastelands of Cornwall or making a new life for herself in Victorian Britain and Belle Époque France.

Will her travels to the future through the Bennet Wardrobe offer Kitty Bennet the secrets to having the life she craves?

The Exile: Kitty Bennetand the Belle Epoque is my first time reading a story from Don Jacobson’s Bennet Wardrobe Series. This series read as a blend between The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of the BBC show, Orphan Black. As someone who has enjoyed all three of these stories, I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy a book centered around Kitty Bennet as much as I did, while I also enjoyed the fantastical elements that are woven throughout this story.

Don Jacobson has taken our dear coughing Kitty and cleverly transported her to Victorian England, where she first meets Henry Fitzwilliam; a man withholding some pretty big secrets of his own. Instantly attracted to one another, Kitty and Henry bond over her time travel experience as Henry helps Kitty become acclimated to the new time period that she is now living within. However, Kitty must decide whether or not she wants to remain in this unknown time and place, where although she is now a wealthy woman, she is left without most of the family members she knows and loves so dearly.

As her decision is made, Kitty must become immersed within her new circle of family, friends, and acquaintances and create what may become the life she would not have been able to have in Regency England. During this same time, Henry pursues the life he has always been expected to create in the eyes of his family and friends. As Lord Matlock, he becomes even more fixated on pursuing his duty, but will the consequences of his decisions have far-reaching effects that he will regret forever? It is this “dance” between Kitty Bennet and Henry Fitzwilliam that become the focus of this story.

Don Jacobson’s story contains plenty of interesting twists and turns. I found myself pulled into the story right from the beginning and I felt fully invested in Kitty’s story. I loved the back history of the Five Families, which were the Bennets, the Darcys, the Bingleys, the Gardiners, and the Fitzwilliams, whose prominent rise makes them extremely powerful throughout society. Some storylines that are revealed from the past are very bittersweet and made me feel quite nostalgic and somewhat melancholy towards the Bennet sisters. Mr. Jacobson has included a family tree in the beginning of the book, which reveals quite a bit of information about the Bennet sisters. I loved reading about how their lives unfolded in the past several decades and learning how these past storylines affected the current events in the story. I also loved reading a story where the descendants of the Five Families play a large role in shaping the current storylines and learning how their lives were affected by the Bennet sisters of Longbourn and their spouses.

Mr. Jacobson also does a good job developing the character arcs he has created for Kitty Bennet and Henry Fitzwilliam. Their stories take place over several years and throughout their struggles, it’s easy to imagine how their personalities and their dreams for their own lives become greatly affected by the events shaping their lives. It was refreshing to see how Kitty Bennet could be transformed from this minor character in Pride and Prejudice, into this brave and caring woman who becomes in charge of her own destiny through sheer grit and perseverance. Henry Fitzwilliam plays a great role in this story too, and I found his character arc quite intriguing as well. I loved that he was a bit of a dark figure living within the Victorian era and witnessing his struggles as he’s trying to find a way to serve as the head of his family while he’s also trying to pursue his own personal happiness. If I could put him in his own custom made t-shirt, it would read, “The struggle is real!” For readers who want to understand more about Henry’s life, read Henry Fitzwilliam’s War: A Bennet Wardrobe Novella.

Mr. Jacobson also weaves some well-known historical figures into his story. This is a fun move on his part and shouldn’t be too hard to believe in most cases, as readers will already be suspending quite a bit of belief already reading this time travel story; however, there were places that I struggled to find the insertion of certain people or historical events/information as relevant to the story, which made them feel contrived within these storylines. I believe incorporating fewer pieces of this kind of information and fleshing them out more in the story would make their inclusion feel more authentic to the storylines.

Don Jacobson’s writing skills continue to offer me JAFF stories that pleasantly surprise me and that help me find new ways to enjoy the characters from Austen’s stories. His writing sweeps me into a world that I didn’t know that I wanted to enter, and yet once I am there, I am happily transported to a place where I can enjoy the Bennet family and all of their captivating adventures. This book is part one of Kitty’s adventures in this series and I look forward to reading part two as soon as it’s released!

Here’s an excerpt from this story:

In which Kitty Bennet, now 21 years old, attends the engagement ball held to honor the betrothal of Lord Henry Fitzwilliam and Lady Astrid Winters.

Chapter IX

As Kitty and Ellie descended the stairs, they observed the Countess and Earl greeting guests alongside Henry and Astrid. Only Astrid’s older brother Junius represented the Winters’ family. Kitty understood that the siblings had been orphaned years ago when an epidemic had swept through South Germany. They supposedly had no other close relations, the Winters having tended toward small families throughout the century.

The young women paused briefly halfway down and watched the complicated social dance of receiving line politics.

A footman stood behind Uncle Reggie, ready to discreetly assist the Earl if he became too fatigued by the rigmarole of greeting guests. Kitty was surprised and concerned by the Earl’s appearance. His grayish pallor was augmented by a tremor shivering his left arm. In spite of his wife’s best efforts, he leaned more and more on his cane. Old friends recognized his frailty and greeted him with soft words wishing him well. Newer acquaintances treated the old man with respect and then extended assurances to the Countess offering support when the inevitable arrived.

Not wishing to break into the line and further wear on the Earl’s energies, both women gave the Countess a nod as they slipped past and into the ballroom.

Kitty quickly looked around the room to espy her escort, Tommy Gardiner.

She smiled to herself. Another distant nephew of mine elevated into the peerage, although his Great-grandfather, my Uncle Edward, certainly deserved the title King George bestowed upon him. What would Lady C have thought if she knew her granddaughter Annie Fitzwilliam had been tainted by the stench of trade?

Tommy noticed them and was soon approaching accompanied by Viscount Eddie Darcy. The four young people had, over the years, established strong bonds of, at least for Kitty, friendship. However, Ellie’s relationship with the heir to the Pemberley Earldom was deeper than that.

Tommy greeted the ladies as he and Eddie finished their pass across the expanse of polished maple, “Well, here they are…the twin belles of any ball…Eleanor Fitzwilliam and Catherine Marie Bennet,” Tommy drawled, preening a bit as he ran his hands down the front of his tailless black dinner jacket, obviously seeking a reaction.

Kitty caught his efforts, “Now Tommy, if you want me to ask you about your scandalous outfit, you need to call me Kitty. You know how I hate to be spoken of as ‘Catherine.’ I simply cannot abide that name. You will make me feel as if I am 100 years old.”

“All right cousin…Kitty it is…

“Do you like my new suit? It is all the rage at Cowes. The Americans call this suit jacket a tuxedo after one of their watering holes. I have it on good authority that Harry Poole designed something like this for the Prince himself back in the late 70s,” he continued.

Kitty laughed, “Tommy, there are those of your parent’s crowd who would point out that wearing such a jacket instead of tails makes you look like you are the Master of Ceremonies at the Hippodrome. All your hair needs is a rather liberal application of pomade!”

The two young people broke into laughter as she finished her jape.

While Kitty and Tommy had been going back and forth about fashion, Ellie and Eddie had been having a silent conference of their own. Fitzwilliams and Darcys had been doing the same love-match dance for over a century starting with blonde-beauty Anne Fitzwilliam leaving the confines of Matlock for raven-haired George Darcy’s splendid Pemberley in the waning years of the insurrection in the American colonies. Eleanor Fitzwilliam and Eddie Darcy were clearly living up to the family tradition.

Kitty was not swept up in the “love is in the air” mood of a late Season ball. As much as she enjoyed Tommy’s company, she realized that both of them were only necessary cover/chaperonage for the other two Musketeers. She had no expectations of any more attention from the youthful baronet and preferred to keep relations as that between cousins and kindred spirits. His seat, Rosings Park, was nestled in the rolling Kentish landscape and had been the Five Families’ Eastertide gathering place since Kitty’s cousin the elder Thomas Gardiner had wooed and won the hand of Lady Annie Fitzwilliam back in the mid-30s.

Eleanor Fitzwilliam and Eddie Darcy had put the past four reunions to good use, gradually cementing their affection for one another. Since Ellie and Kitty’s joint debuts in the 1887 Season, Lord Edward’s attentions had been distinctly paid to just one woman. Likewise, Ellie had spurned overtures from at least three other young aristocrats. These men claimed that they had been attracted to her side by visions of her distinctive steel-grey eyes. However, Uncle Reggie, with the help of Mr. Reynolds at the Trust, had quickly discovered that all of them were looking for an influx of Fitzwilliam cash to save their flailing estates’ finances.

In fact, the Families had been surprised, if not shocked, that Henry would apparently beat his little sister to the altar. “Double-E” showed the type of romantic liaison that had been made so fashionable by Her Majesty the Queen and the late Prince.

vvv

The orchestra had been playing for about an hour when Henry approached Kitty for his dance with her. He had already waltzed with Astrid and his mother and had partnered Ellie in a mazurka. For her part, Kitty had been anticipating the next few minutes of waltzing because she had resolved to clear the air between them.

Henry bestowed a friendly smile upon her as he reached out to lead her onto the floor.

Both felt an undeniable jolt as her sapphire silk wrapped hand grasped his brilliant white glove. Unbidden, both momentarily tensed until the sensation passed.

Both were silent for several long moments as Kitty gazed into Henry’s steel grey eyes, the color of clouds over the Channel on a winter’s afternoon. He, levelly, returned the look into her china blue orbs. As they glided around the floor without saying a word, Kitty began to grow frustrated.

Why cannot this Fitzwilliam be more like a Fitzwilliam rather than a Darcy? I am surprised that Lizzy did not throttle Mr. Darcy at the Netherfield Ball. I will not abide the next five minutes without a word passing between us.

“Lord Gladney, Henry, I assume you invited me to dance with you in order to enjoy the pleasure of my company. Yet, I am hard-pressed to understand how you are deriving any gratification by simply spinning around the floor with me in your arms,” she challenged.

Henry lifted his left eyebrow and replied somewhat formally, “I assure you, Miss Bennet, Kitty, that holding you in the dance is enough pleasure for me.”

Insufferable man!

“That will not do. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent.

“I, for one, do have many subjects about which we could comfortably converse as we enjoy Herr Strauss’ fine music…that is if you would drag yourself from the clouds and back into the ballroom,” she reposted.

Up to this point, Henry had been only briefly attending to his partner, allowing muscle memory to lead them through the correct steps. His mind, as Miss Bennet had correctly observed, had been 1,000 miles away…actually only 150…inDeauville.

Fitzwilliam had been deep inside himself as they had danced. Contrary to Kitty’s protestations that he was seemingly ignoring her, he was acutely aware of her presence and the impact it was having on his composure. His carefully constructed defenses of the previous four years had been knocked over like skittles on the lawn. The woman in his arms attracted every fiber of his being and bored deeply into his soul like none other save one—and she was lost to him some twenty-five years from now. He had mourned that for seven years.

I only recall her scent: roses over freshly mowed grass.

As Kierkegaard wrote, “The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you will never have.”

Yet, there was something eternal in our communion. If only…

He had overheard Kitty and Ellie speculating about his proposal to Astrid. They were half correct…and half dead wrong.

They were spot-on when they aligned his offer with his daily mindfulness of his father’s impending mortality. Henry knew he needed to set up his nursery for, unlike Pemberley’s title, the Earldom of Matlock demanded a male heir. He was settling. His feelings for Astrid were enough, as far as he was concerned, to allow him to perform his marital duties without distaste or any fear of deeper attachment.

That was where the two girls were wrong. He had always believed that he would marry only for the deepest love. But he knew that was impossible…for he had found true love and it had slipped through his fingers. She existed on another plane, only reached once thanks to the Wardrobe.

If I cannot have Her—the Voice—in my bed…for She is always in my heart…then any well-born lady will do. Once we have sons, we can remain polite companions until the Lord takes me home, I pray, to rest softly in Her cherished arms.

Kitty was threatening his entire scheme of detachment from love…and he could not understand how she was doing it.

Kitty’s animated appeal to him brought his conscious mind into focus.

“Pray, cousin Kitty, forgive me. I was not paying attention. The music and movement reminded me of that first ball you attended when cousin Caroline Anne and Lord John were marrying. You and Ellie were quite excited at the prospects, if I recall,” he offered.

Kitty accepted this lengthy speech as partial expiation for his ignoring her. Then she decided to address the elephant in the room.

“T’is odd you should mention the Cecil-Bingley ball, my lord, for that was on my mind as well.

“I have been puzzled by your behavior toward me these past four years…”

Henry swiftly interrupted her with a concerned voice, “Have I acted improperly toward you, Miss Bennet? I have made every effort to be friendly and tolerant of your behavior recognizing that you were placed out of your own time.”

Kitty huffed and fixed him with a steely stare, “No…never improper, to be sure. But your exaggerated propriety and extreme tolerance has been nearly unbearable.

“Am I so deficient in manners and intellect that you must treat me as if I were a small child utterly unaware of the problems I have faced and will continue to address on this timeline?

“Why cannot you treat me as Eddie and Tommy do? They are men of your class and with both greater and lesser responsibilities. Yet, they find it within themselves to be my friend.”

Fitzwilliam knew that he could not truthfully answer her…for he had no response that did not involve him making a fool of himself. He had made his choice—to live in the gray half-life of a loveless marriage with a pleasant woman. Lengthy exposure to Catherine Marie Bennet threatened it all.

Unseen by Kitty, he caught the attention of his future brother-in-law, Lord Junius, and widened his eyes in a silent plea. Winters caught the hint and ambled over to cut in, relieving Henry of the need to reply.

Meet Don Jacobson

Don Jacobson has written professionally for forty years. His output has ranged from news and features to advertising, television, and radio. His work has been nominated for Emmys and other awards. He has previously published five books, all non-fiction. In 2016, he published the first volume of The Bennet Wardrobe Series—The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey, a novel that grew from two earlier novellas. The Exile is the second volume of The Bennet Wardrobe Series. Other JAFF P&P Variations include the paired books “Of Fortune’s Reversal” and “The Maid and The Footman.”

Jacobson holds an advanced degree in History with a specialty in American Foreign Relations. As a college instructor, Don teaches United States History, World History, the History of Western Civilization and Research Writing.

He is a member of JASNA-Puget Sound. Likewise, Don is a member of the Austen Authors collective (see the internet, Facebook, and Twitter).

He lives in the Seattle, WA area with his wife and co-author, Pam, a woman Ms. Austen would have been hard-pressed to categorize, and their rather assertive four-and-twenty pound cat, Bear. Besides thoroughly immersing himself in the JAFF world, Don also enjoys cooking; dining out, fine wine and well-aged scotch whiskey.

His other passion is cycling. Most days from April through October will find him “putting in the miles” around the Seattle area (yes there are hills). He has ridden several “centuries” (100 mile days). Don is especially proud that he successfully completed the AIDS Ride—Midwest (500 miles from Minneapolis to Chicago) and the Make-A-Wish Miracle Ride (300 miles from Traverse City, MI to Brooklyn, MI).

It’s Giveaway Time!

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented (which will be verified). If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified. Remember: Tweet and comment once daily to earn extra entries.

Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international. To enter the giveaway enter the Rafflecopter below:

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented (which will be verified). If an entrant does not do so, that entry will be disqualified. Remember: Tweet and comment once daily to earn extra entries.

A winner may win ONLY 1 (ONE) eBook of The Exile: Kitty Bennet and the Belle Époqueby Don Jacobson. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.

Thank you Linda for your post. Please check out the other stops on the blog tour for more about the Bennets and the Wardrobe. I did not want to end up with Bennets chasing one another through time. The Series is about the Bennets and not the Wardrobe…so the use of the Wardrobe is more hidden than revealed…but how did the Five Families know where to invest and buy? Thus, whether Thomas’ father Samuel ever used the Wardrobe, we know not. We see Mary using it once in THE KEEPER. We know from the opening of THE EXILE that Kitty also used it. How Lydia’s use of the Wardrobe (we know that from THE KEEPER) impacted her life will be revealed in “The Pilgrim: Lydia Bennet and the Soldier’s Portion.” Thomas will become the father he must (see whispers of his journey in THE KEEPER) in “The Avenger: Thomas Bennet and the Father’s Lament.” Then there will be a final book in the series which explains it all…”The Grail: The Saving of Elizabeth Darcy.”

Need to figure out how to reproduce the full family tree from Christopher Bennet…it’s an 8-1/2 X 14 sheet. Could even be bigger since I have the Collins and Fitzwilliam trees… Yes, our Five Families are much nicer than the ones in New York! Hope you enjoy the books! Good luck on the drawing.

Ha, I was so into that excerpt that I had a startle when it ended. Enjoyed getting your thoughts one what to expect with Don’s story, Claudine. I’ve got the first book and just need to get busy and read it.

I’m afraid I am a bit lost with this book, trying to work out who is who and what happened. Don’t worry I think it’s an age thing 😱. I would possibly have to read volume 1 and read this from the beginning to fully understand it. However it does sound really interesting so I would give it a go.
I don’t tweet so am unable to enter the giveaway but I have added them to my wish list.
Thanks for sharing this Claudine.

Thanks for reading my review, Glynis. This story has Kitty Bennet finding herself living in the Victorian era after she goes through the Bennet Wardrobe. Her story unfolds alongside of Henry Fitzwilliam’s story. I think reading volume 1 could be helpful but I enjoyed volume 2’without reading volume 1 at this point in time.

I believe you can enter the giveaway through choices other than Twitter. I’ll look into this for you.

Hi Glynis…thank you for your thoughts on the book. I did try to keep the time strands as distinct (and to an extent) as limited as possible. You hit the point that reading The Keeper (Vol 1 available in print or on Kindle, too) to get the Origins of the Wardrobe. Also, Henry Fitzwilliam’s War gives you an insight into the development of Henry’s personality. I encourage you to keep asking questions…you can touch base with me directly through Goodreads. I would love to keep up the conversation.

This book sounds so interesting! Is on top of my TBR list, but fortunately I have a crazy schedule these last months! So clever and intriguing – looking forward to start enjoying it. Please do NOT enter me in the giveaway, as I already purchased the book.

LL-I am so thrilled you want to read THE EXILE. I do encourage you to adjust your reading list (hey…you have nothing else to do, right?). Read “The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey” first. Then Read the novella (brief) Henry Fitzwilliam’s War” to understand a bit more about the shaping of Henry’s personality. Then hit “The Exile.”

Thank you…I think you will enjoy the first two books (so far). The Keeper is the beginning of the Saga. The the novella Henry Fitzwilliam’s War sets up the Viscount’s frame of mind as he appears in The Exile. Love to hear your reviews.

Hi Kate,
Thank you for your note. As Claudine noted, The Bennet Wardrobe is not your typical JAFF. Your thoughts on the development of each of the central characters as well as the final agenda of the Wardrobe will be appreciated. As others have noted…I do go to school on reviews.

I had to drop in again to read all the other comments. This will definitely be a series I read. The excerpt only whets my appetite. I just have to carve out time. But looking forward to a totally new approach in a P&P variation.

I have always thought that one needs to read the first book in a series to understand the whole plot. Is it alright if you just dive into The Exile without first reading The Keeper?

Btw I enjoyed the review and learning part of the story but I’m slightly confused by who is who. Don, could you put up a picture of the family tree on your blog? Maybe it’s time travel thing that got me easily confused.

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